The Sound Of Creation - Part of a collection of related short stories
by TheZigRat
Summary: While testing a new type of drive, one of the scientists is murdered and it falls upon the war torn Commander to solve the case, while the threat of invasion by a strange and hostile alien race looms ever closer. Part of a collection of linked related short stories started off by the story "The Hunt"


The Sound of Creation

The two officers watched from the comfort of the dry dock's  
briefing room as small work shuttles swarmed around the aging MK  
VII Scout ship like bees around the hive. The older man, Admiral  
O'Riely, was rather pleased with his latest assignment, while his  
companion was not. Flight Commander Wilson seemed very impatient  
with the progress of his project. The Commander was also  
disappointed in the results of his negotiations with the  
Federation.

"It's ancient!" grumbled Commander Wilson.  
"The USS. Kit Carson was one of the finest scout class vessels  
in her day," Admiral O'Riely countered.  
"But that was over a hundred years ago."  
"What were you expecting, a Galaxy Class? The Federation is  
not going to supply their top of the line crafts for experiments  
based on some radical and unproven theories. Be glad that they  
provided anything at all. It is not policy for us to provide  
assistance in gaining technological development to any non member  
of the Federation."  
"As if we are supposed to be grateful for Federation  
generosity. Eliciting your help took some major technological  
trade deals, most were not even equitable. After all we did  
manage to get you a Trans-warp Tachyon Ram Drive and a Prism  
Field Generator. Remember the Pred. are not so willing to part  
with their toys."  
"Yes, I know all about the phaser technology trade, for both  
our sake, it is best that those trades remain our little secret.  
The drive will be a major aid to our own development in  
trans-warp technology. Lets just say the Prism Field cloaking  
device never existed." cautioned the Admiral.  
"You know, if we are right and this experiment succeeds, there  
will not be a need for such drives. No more worrying about warp  
distortion on Space-time, no more warp-cores, no more mucking  
about in hyper-space, even the Borg's sub space conduits will be  
obsolete. Imagine velocities far surpassing anything presently  
known with no drive units at all. No more need for temporal  
dampers used to exceed the warp ten barrier. All these things  
will be things of the past. Just Imagine being able to travel  
from Sol to Aarris in only a few minutes, not the weeks it would  
take at warp six."

"Now who sounds like some great philanthropist. Our sources  
tell us that your government is hoping that the successes of  
these space folding experiments will help you win your war with  
the Triders."  
"And that is why the Federation is so 'generous' to provide  
aid. The Trider danger is far worse than any threat that the Borg  
or the Romulans could provide."  
Suddenly the conversation was interrupted by the shrill chirp  
of the door intercom system.  
"This is Chief Eruku, I have the status updates."  
"Ah, Chief, Come in."  
"Chief Eruku, may I introduce you to Flight Commander Wilson,  
of the Planetary Coalition. He is in charge of this operation."  
"Sir, I am honored."  
"Chief, What is the ship's status?"  
"The Carson's power grids have been modified to your  
specifications. Her shields have been equipped with Gravimetric  
Emitters, Field Processors and Phase Shift Inducers as well."  
"And the Positronic memory core?" the Commander asked.  
"It is still being installed."  
"Thank-you chief. Report to your station" ordered Admiral  
O'Riely.  
"And the rest of the crew?"  
"All the others were from your list."  
"And my Prime Officer?"  
"Lieutenant Commander Richards. You know Commander, all this  
seems to be nothing but unrelated technology, a collection of  
random parts. I'm not sure how you are going to get past the  
difficulty of trying to integrate the exotic technologies, even  
if your theories are correct."  
"That's is our problem."

Personal Log: Flight Commander Wilson speaking, Star Date  
9512.21:9.42  
It has been five standard days since I took command of the  
Carson. The Admiral seems to be wrong. Integrating the new  
systems has been going well. So far most of the problems have  
been with the original ship components. We have had to replace  
most due to ware or age. The most difficult modification was  
trying to convert the sensor array to accept the new mass  
detector systems. The upgrades are taking more time than I  
expected. She is almost ready for her trial runs. Although  
things seem to be preceding without incident, I have feelings of  
apprehension.  
"Commander is on the bridge."  
"Star Base control to NCC-592 you have been cleared for  
disembarking, please begin your separation procedures now."  
"NCC-592 we receive, starting procedures now. Bridge to  
Engineering . . . What is our operational status, Chief?"  
"Sir, we have full power available, all other systems are  
nominal."  
"Very good. Bridge out. Prime, begin departure sequence"  
"Automates are on-line and engaged, The umbilicals are  
detached and we are free floating. Helm, aft thrusters, heading  
0.0 ahead."  
"Yes Sir, course laid in, heading 0.0, aft thrusters engaged,  
ahead slow. We are clearing Dock Bay Doors. We are in free space,  
sir."  
"Helm, lay in a course to the Europa testing site, one-half  
impulse power"  
"Commander Richards you have the Com. I'll be in my ready  
room. Notify me as soon as we are in visual range. I also want  
continual diagnostics on the new systems."

I sat there in my ready room, illuminated by a single monitor  
screen. It was dark to match my mood. The darkness also reduced  
distraction. The room was nothing like the ones on our military  
ships, large and spacious.  
It was almost too comfortable sitting back in the mock  
leather chair, staring at the readouts of the Personal Data  
Terminal. The Data, all were within tolerance levels. Suddenly I  
found my self staring at a dark screen and I felt my  
apprehension grow. "Rescue one to control, I'm inside, no  
difficulties and have reached the power relays . . . Damn, the  
power is off to this part of the ship." My words being drowned  
out by the sound of my heart beat and the rasping of the  
re-breather unit in my environmental suit. Echoing changes in  
respiration and heart rate as I carefully climbed my way over the  
twisted metal and rubble of what was the engineering deck. I must  
be extremely careful, all it takes is one good puncture and ...,

stopping that thought, got to keep cool, keep my mind on the  
facts. "Almost to that hatch . . . What?" I realized, although  
too late as I fell face first in to the floor grates, that the  
artificial gravity just went on line. "Survivors? None in  
engineering, most of them were still strapped into their stations  
when the bulkhead blew." Although I have seen death many times,  
I still have not gotten used to the sight of what remains after  
explosive decompression. "Damn, the power to the hatch was  
severed. Looks like I'll have to do it manually, hope the  
hydraulic systems are working. There should be an inner airlock.  
I hope it's working too or you can scratch this operation. Ok,  
I'm in position and opening the hatch." There is a sudden rush of  
gases and condensation as the inner passage decompresses.  
The inner passage is clear, and there is power. Having  
closed the hatch to engineering, I brace myself for the expected  
torrent of gases that will flood the room when the inner hatch is  
opened.  
"I am opening the inner hatch now."  
There is an atmosphere here. Scans detect heavy traces of  
chlorine, breathable, but barely. Transmissions from control are  
getting unreadable. I note the increasing Glazing of the  
corridors with Salts and Ammonia crystals as I make my way toward the bridge.  
"Survivors, yes, but not human." I ready my Flachet Auto Cannon  
from my backpack. Better use the air ducts and avoid  
confrontations. It's a wonder that they weren't able to hear the  
scraping of my hard suit through out the ship. It was then that  
something caught my attention.  
There was a faint noise coming from the duct off to my left,  
Environmental and Life support section. One of the most innermost  
sections of the ship. If there were human survivors, that would  
be one of the most likely areas. The duct opens into a large  
room. Although I hear the hum of equipment, the room is dark. The  
motion sensing track lighting is not working. Vision is still  
obscured even with the hard suit's lamps. A thick greenish fog  
kept visibility to only a few feet. The sound of my heart was  
quite pronounced now. No... Not a heart beat, it's the Lub-Dub  
sound of the ships atmospheric condensers with an occasional hiss  
of a pressure release valve. It's hot in here. What was that? A  
moan? "Control, if you can hear me, I think I found a survivor."  
What I found was a body, not fortunate enough to be dead.

The liquefying remains were suspended from an upper bulkhead  
by crystal strands, hung upside-down in a membranous sack. From  
within I could hear a muffled, gurgling scream. Wiping away the  
crystal condensation off, I managed to see inside. It was Steven.  
Quickly I cut open the sack, only to find that Steven was half  
consumed by a slug-like embryonic mass, but still alive.  
"Please ... help me... don't let me die... like this.  
Please..."  
"Yes, I'll help you." I close my eyes and scream, as loud as I  
can. Unfortunately I can still hear his high-pitched scream, cut  
short by the electrical whir of the nail gun.  
I was startled by the beep of the intercom and thought Why did  
I let you join. I promised our mother to keep you safe.  
"Bridge to Commander Wilson."  
"Wilson here."  
"We are within visual range of Jupiter, ETA: Europa Station,  
fifteen minutes."  
"On my way."

"Commander on the bridge."  
"Prime, what is our status?"  
"We have entered a standard orbit around Europa. All systems  
report as nominal. We have impulse and warp through factor eight  
available on your command."  
"Communications, open a channel to the Europa science  
station."  
"Europa station, this is the USS. Carson - NCC 592, Flight  
Commander Wilson commanding. We are ready to begin pre-jump  
testing at this time."  
"Europa station to NCC-592, the observation and assessment  
team is assembled and ready to transport."  
Commander Richards looked up from his monitor and inquired  
"According to the data file, the science team consists of eight  
individuals, four from the Federation and four from your Alliance  
Colonies. T'Tyla, from the Vulcan Academy on Physical Sciences; a  
Bynar Pair, Positronics experts from Dastrum, called one and zero  
respectively and Dr. Quinn of Solaris Terra, Inter-dimensional  
Physics expert. Your team consists of SilsaPrret, 'Zint  
Tel.-navigator; Garith, a Memorian; Dr. Carstairs, a temporal  
physics expert from Orharn II and Giem, a spatial sensitive. I'm  
familiar with most of the many races from that section of space,  
but I've never heard of the Memorians."  
"The Memorians are a humanoid race noted for their development  
for an almost perfect memory if not for their lack of imagination  
and low abstract reasoning ability. They have a very interesting  
history, I'll tell you about later. Let's welcome them aboard,  
Commander you're with me."

"Eruku, report?"  
"The team is in position and I have a positive lock"  
"Good, energize"  
As the transporter blur dissipated, the differences between  
the two sets of team members were immediately obvious. The  
Federation members, well fed and in pressed uniforms, appearing  
in an almost smug opposition to the Alliance worlders. Each  
member dressed in the traditional trappings of their race, save  
for the Navigator who was dressed in the same black Alliance  
uniform as the Flight Commander. Garith's simple wool and raw  
leather tunic accented his apish appearance.  
"Welcome, I am Flight Commander Wilson and this is Commander  
Richards. I'm sure you would like to refresh yourselves before getting started.  
The Sergeant will show you to your quarters, I have provided data files, to aid  
in your preparation, there as well. Sergeant, escort them to their quarters. Commander,  
a word alone if you please. Do not think me paranoid, but this mission is far too  
important to be compromised. I know none of these people and I trust no one. I  
want security on this mission tightened."  
"You suspect trouble?"  
"There have been signs, Computer entries changed, hard copy  
files found missing only to turn up later. Events such as those."  
"Such events are common in any venture."  
"Just check everything." Maybe I am being paranoid or just  
over cautious, but caution is a skill I learned to survive. I  
guess my fifteen years in the service made me that way.  
"I'll start by checking the specialists" replied Commander  
Richards.  
"Good, I'll be on the bridge if you find anything."

Upon reaching his quarters, Commander Richards sat at his  
PDT and started upon his task. "Computer, Data access level five  
authorization Thomas Richards, Commander, code 125mmsccx.  
Key word search: Memorian, all files."  
 _"-Memorian, Anthropoid life form. Origin: Ohanock V._  
 _Indigenous name for race: Unknown. Indigenous name for planet:_  
 _None. Indigenous name for principal star: None. System consists_  
 _of one class G1 star and four class K planets and one class M_  
 _planet. Planet five of the Ohanock system is rated at a one on_  
 _the Rathbern scale of technological development, Prolific use of_  
 _iron tools, no mechanical power devices. Agricultural based trade_  
 _system. Tribal based community system. Recently developed dairy_  
 _and meat production with the introduction of stock animals. First_  
 _contact was eighteen standard years ago.-_  
 _-Culture: Tribal, Religious based moral and legal system._  
 _Current writing system: Carthiatic symbol glyphs. Spoken_  
 _communication: Adopted Federation Standard. Other Achievements:_  
 _Race is noted for almost total memory recall of sensations and_  
 _perceptions. Concrete thinking mentality. History, Myths and_  
 _Legends: The Memorian have a lengthy oral tradition spanning_  
 _approximately one hundred thou...-"_  
"Stop... end query on Memorian. New keyword search, K'Zinti  
Pride worlds"  
 _"-Worlds currently controlled by the K'Zinti Patriarchy:_  
 _K'Zin, K'Dat, Wunderland, and New K'Zin. System of origin: Ursa Majoris._  
 _-K'Zinti, Felanthropoid life forms. The first Terran_  
 _encounter was on star date 2235.0829:34, when colony DS28,_  
 _Wunderland, was destroyed by unprovoked attack. Subsequent events resulted_  
 _in four wars spanning 200 standard years. Although the Treaty of Cereus,_  
 _forbade weapons to the Pride worlds, open hostilities continued to exist between_  
 _Federation and the Pride. Hostilities were ended with the Klingon and Romulan_  
 _alliance pact, annexing the Orion trade routs and separating Pridal worlds from_  
 _Federation space. As the Klingon / Romulan began to fail due to space boundary_  
 _disputes, no further contact with the K'Zin worlds ...-"_  
"Stop... end search. New keyword search, Orharn II."  
 _"-Orharn II, see also Orharn I. Deep space Federation_  
 _colonies based on a twin class M planetary system orbiting around_  
 _the Orharndis star system. The colony was presumed lost due to_  
 _the annexation of the Orion Triangle. No communication was_  
 _received from the colony from that point due to heavy ionic_  
 _interference in Orion space.-"_  
 _"- Orharns, Humanoid life form...-"_  
"Stop... end search. New keyword search ..."

"Problem Mr. Palet?" asked Commander Wilson.  
"Sir, the Mass detectors are picking up an occasional  
glitch."  
"Explain?"  
"Almost like a sensor echo. Maybe we are picking up our  
Nacelle emissions. I shall re-calibrate them, Sir."  
"Also run a level four diagnostic on all sensor systems"  
"Yes Commander Wilson."  
Damn, more technical difficulties with the detectors, one of  
the more important pieces of equipment, and this ghosting  
problem, problems ever since Terra dry dock. "You will inform me  
of the results."

"Come in"  
"You summon Garith, Bearman Commander Richards?"  
"Yes Garith, please have a seat. I am curious about your  
world, I have never met your race before. Please tell me about  
yourself."  
"I am Garith. I raise plants to eat and barter"  
"What brought you here?"  
"Bearmen ship."  
"I mean why are you here?"  
"To learn things. I see and I do. I hear and retell.  
Bearmen say we remember all."  
"Go on."  
"Father Makes barter with Bearmen, my work for shiny tools  
and seed."  
"Why do you call me Bare man? Is it the lack of body hair?"  
"It is what we call Bearman, as always has been."  
"Always?"

"Eruku, we have ten standard hours before the test of the  
folding device. What is the status on the systems?" asked  
Commander Wilson.  
"All systems check as nominal, although we are still trying  
to diagnose the mass detector difficulties."  
"Keep me posted, Bridge out."

"You wanted to see me, Commander Richards?"  
"Silsa, I was wondering, can you tell me why a 'Zint would  
want to aid in a predominantly human experiment? According to  
last Federation historical accounts, your race was openly hostile  
toward humans."  
"And most still are, but our race had to make allowances to  
survive. We have already lost most of our pridelands in the war  
and at least the 'Umans are an enemy we know."  
"But what are your motives?"  
"Personal"  
"Because you're a female and a telepath, a reader?"  
"Unlike most males, my sire was a caring 'Father'. When he  
discovered my talents, he knew that I would be killed out of  
tradition and a historical fear. My pride raised me as a male  
navigator. I took the physical abuse that all the smaller  
telepaths endured from the stronger, bigger males as part of my  
training. In our society, Strength is valued among the males.  
Male hormones destroyed telepathic abilities. Therefore all  
natural telepaths were weaker, smaller, and abused. Add to that  
the strain of the talent, that's why the navigators are usually  
neurotic or worse. Females in our society were bred to be Prrets,  
whose sole value was to reproduce, little more than animals.  
"But you are more than that."  
"My condition is very rare. Telepathy in females was not  
always rare. As I said, it is a more female trait. Telepathic  
females were killed out of fear and to protect the male order.  
Eventually society reduced us to the role of breeders. When I  
came of age, I had to leave the order and found service with the  
Alliance."  
"What does a Navigator do?"  
"We are used to navigate ships through hyper-space. In  
hyper-space there are no benchmarks that our ships can use for  
location."  
"Tell me more..."

Although the conference room was small for the crowd, it  
was still comfortable. The specialists and Ranking officers  
gathered to discuss the events to come and their findings thus  
far. The systems are functioning within all specifications. No  
faults were found in any of the systems. The Bynars have  
re-configured the Logic core to function three thousand  
nanoseconds faster than standard ratings. Commander Richard's  
investigation has not discovered anything, but I'm still  
apprehensive. Maybe I am paranoid. There seems to be an unnatural  
tension in the air. Everyone seems to be on edge.  
"As you know, the theory of space folding is not new. There  
is a relationship between Matter and Space-Time. In the most  
basic of terms, matter curves space and space dictates the  
movement of matter according to its relativistic curving. The one  
factor that links both events is gravity. We are familiar with  
the distortion of time and space around the accretion sphere  
around a 'Hawking Hole'. We have also heard of the resulting  
worm hole effects. What our tests suggest is that this effect  
can be created through the use of gravity beams directed at a  
section of space held suspended within sub space and processing  
fields. Using these beams, set at opposing resonance frequencies  
directed at the same focal point should tear open a temporary  
rift into sub space. Which we may pass to a predestined location  
rift opened as we enter. I'm not speaking of a conduit, or a  
worm hole. This will be more like a 'Window', from here to there  
with no distortion of time or space. Traveling an unlimited  
distance as easily as one would cross a room. We are holding at  
three hours before the space fold test. Any questions?"  
"This 'Ren' resonance frequency you mentioned in your report,  
can you elaborate more about it? Your explanation was a little  
too technical for my tastes."

"The 'Ren' frequency, Silsa, is a recently discovered  
resonance frequency shared by all matter. The name comes from  
an old Egyptian Earth legend about the name that binds everything  
together, the name uttered at the time of creation, The 'Ren'."  
"And the Phase shielding alters this frequency allowing one to  
pass through the distortion field without succumbing to its  
effects?"  
"Correct, T'Tyla."  
"If your engineer found no faults in the detector, then why  
the delay?" T'Tyla asked as she nonchalantly drummed her fingers  
on the table.  
"It is true that the ghost images cleared when the system was  
re-calibrated but I want another diagnostic performed before the  
attempt to fold. Dr. Quinn and Dr. Carstairs have finished their  
Entry / Exit space-time calculations and the Bynars have encoded  
them. We will be ready for the fold as soon as the diagnostics  
are finished. Are there any more questions? Then make final  
preparations. Stations everyone."

The Bridge was alive with activity. Chief Eruku found no  
faults with the systems.  
"Everyone our destination is Aarris. Eruku?"  
"Ready Sir."  
"Helm.?"  
"Ready Sir."  
"Nav.?"  
"Course laid in and ready Sir."  
"Thank-you ensign Palet."  
"Eruku, bring the power grids on line."  
"Yes Sir."  
"Mr. Palet, stand by to project an integrity processing field  
at 0.0 degrees, at a distance of 100 meters. Now! Sciences, read  
relative field densities of the dark matter within the shielded  
area."  
".0002357x10-23 gravs. per um^3"  
"Increase field strength 100%"  
"Density at .00023x10-25 gravs. per um^3"  
"you know Wilson, if this doesn't work, it'll be like ramming  
the ship into a large and solid bulkhead"  
"Increase to 1000%"  
"Density at .015x10-29 gravs."  
"3000%"  
"Density at .15x10-33 gravs."  
"Sir Mass detectors are reading a solidity level at 50%  
We have kurlien thread alignment"  
"Ok Dr. Giem, proceed with the Gravimetric inducers at  
.15x10-33 osculations per microsecond."  
"Commander Wilson, this is Giem, in physics lab, I sense  
changes in the area, we are recording all sensor data. There is a  
definite static distortion field forming within the dark matter.  
It's not stable though."  
"Commander Wilson! I'm picking up transmissions, two, very  
brief. Too brief to get a lock on their location. one appears to  
originate aft of the ship, within the Nacelle waste stream, and  
one within . . . the Carson."  
"Commander we are being drawn into the gravity vortex!"  
"Raise Phase Shields now!"  
 _"-COLLISION ALERT-"_  
"Sir we have explosive decompression in the docking bay!"  
 _"-COLLISION ALERT-"_  
"Warp Drive is off line!  
 _"-COLLISION ALERT-"_  
"Main power is down!"  
 _"-WARNING PRESSURE LOSS IN DOCKING BAY-"_

"We made it through... Commander Wilson to all stations and  
all decks. I want Damage assessment and Casualty reports now.  
Emergency Medical and fire control to their stations."  
"Sir, damage reports severe damage to aft section sections A  
through F on levels eight to ten, warp core is off line, we have  
impulse only. We have a hull breach in the Shuttle Bay. External  
sensors are nonfunctional. Casualties report, five injured and  
one dead."  
"Commander Wilson to Eruku."  
"Eruku here."  
"What is the estimated repair time?"  
"Main power will be restored in one hour, Docking Bay will be  
repaired in five hours, and usable in six. The warp Nacelle has  
negative capacity, Sensors will be repaired in about fifteen  
minutes."  
"Can you determine the cause of the damage?"  
"As far as I can tell, there was an external explosion, force  
9.5, 1000 meters aft of the ship."  
"Mr. Palet, I want our location plotted as soon as possible"  
"Wilson to medical."  
"Dr. Rawlings here."  
"What is the status of the casualties?"  
"We have three cases of radiation burns, they are in good  
condition and should survive. Dr. Giem seems to be in shock, one  
of the Bynars is dead and the other suffered a serious head  
injury, but the Bynar's injuries look intentional."  
"On my way. Prime you have the com."

The screams of Dr. Giem filled the medical bay as the  
medical technicians treated the injured. Dr. Rawlings was just  
finishing initial scans on Number 1. "One of the Bynars, number  
0', its neck was broken. It died instantly. The other, 1',  
suffered massive head injuries but is recovering."  
"See if you can bring Number 1 to consciousness, I must know  
what happened to them"  
"That may be risky."  
"I'll assume responsibility."  
"All right but under protest. Nurse .005cc of Predxcene."  
"It is coming around... but not enough."  
"I dare not try again."  
"Do you think a telepath could retrieve the information  
without injuring Number 1?"  
"Yes."  
"T'Tyla, please report to Medical." I must not lose another  
person under my command, my responsibility. Damn it, Steven, why  
did I let you join.

Commander Richards studied the results apprehensively. "Mr.  
Palet, are you sure that the transmissions were in this code?"  
"Yes sir, they matched exactly, Romulan, Delta code  
transmissions."  
"Good work Mr. Palet."  
"Commander Richards to Sergeant Johnson, any information about the death,  
was it due to the explosion?"  
"No sir, They were found in the computer core access room. The  
death looks non accidental. Both Bynars were attacked, one was  
thrown against a bulkhead and the other's neck was broken,  
apparently by hand."  
"Any clues to how or why this happened?  
"None as of yet, Sir. None of the equipment was damaged, I  
feel that it may not be sabotage. Espionage may be more  
probable, the Bynars may have found the perpetrator  
inadvertently."  
"Thank-you Sergeant. Richards out."  
"Any idea as to our present location, Mr. Palet?"  
"No Sir, external sensors are nominal but not functional."  
"Explain?"  
"There is nothing to lock on to. We seem to be outside our own  
universe."  
"In sub-space or hyper-space?"  
"No Sir, even those have identifiable background radiations,  
we are receiving nothing. Other than this ship there is no matter  
at all."  
"I think we need to tell the Flight Commander our findings"

In Commander Wilson's ready room, The senior staff members  
solemnly pondered the ramifications of the situation as the  
Commander briefed the other staff members of his findings.  
"T'Tyla's impressions during the mind reading were that the  
Bynar Number 1 never saw his attacker. He was attacked from  
behind. The other Bynar, Number 0, was killed instantly. As you  
can see by Dr. Rawlings report, it was a clean break. Richards,  
you look as though you have seen this before?"  
"It is similar to a method of death used by the Talshiar, the  
Romulan executioners and secret police."  
"Who would be able to employ this technique?"  
"Most anyone who had some strength and knowledge. The Bynars  
are not a sturdy or strong race, and that method is known to many  
races including Vulcans. During the fold we intercepted a coded  
transmission that was Romulan in origin."  
"Eruku, do you have any information on the explosion that  
occurred as we entered the fold? "  
"As we entered the fold, we detected a cloaked vessel within  
our Nacelle waste stream. They were most likely drawn into the  
vortex as we were, however their ship was not equipped to  
withstand the gravity flux created by the fold. The resulting  
explosion was what damaged the Carson."  
"What races currently use cloaking technology?"  
"Romulan, Klingon and Yautja" replied Commander Richards.  
"Eruku, could that have brought us to our present location?"  
"Not likely, Flight Commander, The window matrix was  
established before the explosion."  
"And the matrix was controlled by the main computer, where the  
Bynars were attacked. If the encoding coordinates of the exit  
were altered just before the fold, then we may be able to use the  
altered data to find our location and get us back to Alliance  
space. Meeting ended, stations everyone. Commander you're with  
me."

"The evidence suggests that we have a Romulan agent on board,  
most likely a member of the Talshiar," cautioned Commander  
Richards.  
"You suspect T'Tyla, Commander Richards?"  
"As she would say, the most logical choice. Romulans and  
Vulcans are almost identical races."  
"Commander Wilson to Sergeant Johnson."  
"Johnson here."  
"Place guards to over see our specialists, tell them it's for  
their own protection."  
"Yes Sir."

Within the computer access room, the guards busied themselves  
collecting data and looking for clues as to the Bynar's murderer.  
The two commanders studied the matrix readouts. The Flight  
Commander's hopes sank as he compared the data with the expected values.  
"All data matches with expected values."  
"I found a small inconsistency as to when the data was  
entered, the altered data was deleted and replaced with the  
original data after the fold."  
"Can it be recovered?"  
"No, it was intentionally destroyed."  
Without that data, our present location remains unknown, and  
without that information, it is impossible to establish a matrix.  
There must be another way. I must find a way, I'm responsible for  
this ship and her forty crew members.  
 _"- CAUTION MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 98% -"_  
"Wilson to Eruku, are we experiencing a power drain?"  
"I'm on it commander, We seem to be losing potency in the  
matter- antimatter containment cells. Reason unknown. I've  
calculated the power loss, we are dropping about 1% every  
standard half-hour."  
"Keep me posted"  
"Yes Sir."  
"It is imperative that we find that saboteur, and soon, the  
key to getting home depends on it. We need at least 90% power to  
open a rift and that gives us less than four hours. Has there  
been any luck on breaking that coded message?"  
"No, the Delta cipher uses coded symbols to represent other  
pre-arranged data or instruction, they in themselves are  
meaningless without knowing what actions they were meant to  
represent. Such coding is installed in the decoding device's  
memory core and changed each individual mission... If we find that device then..."  
"We have our killer. Check transporter logs see if such a  
device could be hidden or assembled out of the materials  
transported with the specialists. Also, recheck the backgrounds  
of the personnel for any discrepancies. I'll have Sergeant  
Johnson assign a team to search the ship."

OF Monkeys and Men

"I've made some interesting discoveries when I rechecked the  
data banks. Silsa's sire was a High Priest of the K'Dapt  
religion, Worshipers of the 'Monkey God', a religion known for an  
extreme hatred of humans. There are two types of 'Zint telepaths,  
Innate and Forced. Forced telepaths become telepaths through the  
use of Psycho-active drugs and are more commonly used as  
navigators. The drugs cause insanity in 99.9% of the users,  
however. Natural telepaths are more frequently used for  
espionage. Silsa is also what we would consider a Black Belt in  
the 'Screaming Pounce' martial arts. New K'zin is also located  
within the Romulan sphere of claimed space." Commander Richards stated.  
"Most of the Alliance worlds fall within disputed territories  
of either Klingon or Romulan space. What about the decoder? Any  
luck Commander Richards?"  
"Ship Memory has no device on record, so one could not be  
replicated here. I also checked the transporter logs and there  
was no possible transportation of a decoding device. Also no  
similar parts were replicated outside engineering within the last  
twenty-four hours and all those are accounted for."  
"Sergeant Johnson's teams were unable to find any such device  
either. Could such a code be translated without a device?"  
"That would be very difficult."  
"Could a Tricorder be used?"  
"Not without the database."  
"Could a Romulan or Vulcan do this without a decoder?"  
"Unknown. Another thing, the transporter logs show tanned  
leather among Silsa's belongings, the leather contained human  
DNA."  
"Human?"  
"It annualized to be twenty years old, Most likely a religious  
item used in K'Daptism."  
"Commander Wilson, this is Dr. Rawlings, Number 1 has regained  
consciousness."  
"I'll go, commander."  
Damn, another dead end, Could a device still be hidden aboard  
the ship? Was there even such a device? "Wilson to Mr. Palet."  
"Mr. Palet here, sir."  
"That signal that was intercepted, was it on standard  
communication frequencies?"  
"No sir, it was on a data transmission frequency."  
"As in a Federation Tricorder?"  
"Yes it matches used frequencies."  
"Check the transporter logs, Were Tricorder memory units  
included within the equipment / Personnel received from Europa?"  
"Yes, the Bynars were carrying several units within their  
cybernetic interfaces."  
"Compare these findings with Johnson and see if they are  
accounted for."  
"Wilson to Sergeant Johnson, were tricorders issued to the  
specialists?"  
"Yes. All of them."  
"Did anyone instruct Garith on how to use one?"  
"He seemed to already know how to use one, sir."  
"Interesting. Thank-you."

"Dr. Rawlings, you said you have an update on the Bynar?"  
asked Commander Richards.  
"Number 1 will recover from the head wound, if it survives."  
"Survives? You said his injuries were healing."  
"The Bynars are a collective race, like the Borg. Only the  
Bynars are more interdependent between themselves and with the  
Mainframe on Bynar. Small groups can survive for a brief period  
of time away from Bynar by using each other to relay information  
and experiences. Without this continual flow of data, a Bynar's  
brain shuts down and it dies. A single Bynar has not been known  
to survive for more than three days. I have temporarily  
established an interface with the ship's computer. That should  
help some."  
"And Dr. Giem's condition? "  
"Unchanged, he seemed to have had some sort of mental  
trauma."  
"Could a telepath cause such a trauma?"  
"Possibly."  
"Sergeant Johnson reported that T'Tyla was found kneeling  
over Dr. Giem. I need access to personnel medical files, I also  
would like you to run a comparison medical scan on T'Tyla, and  
compare it with known Romulan physiology.  
I have another concern Doctor. I've been asked to review  
personal records of some of the crew. I also examined Commander  
Wilson's personal profile. He was removed from active duty for  
this assignment, not for his imaginative and technical genius as  
we thought, but because he found psychologically unsound for  
battle command, Post Trauma Stress Disorder, he apparently had a  
breakdown over the death of his brother. I will need your  
cooperation in case he becomes unable to command. "

"Yes?"  
"T'Tyla, this is Commander Wilson, may I come in?"  
"I was expecting you. This is about the Bynar killing, is not?  
It would be illogical for you not to suspect me. I hear the Bynar  
was killed by 'Talshia', a broken neck? The guards outside my door,  
are not for my protection, correct?"  
"That is true. I need some information, During the conference  
and even right now, you seem nervous. Romulans do not control  
their feelings as Vulcans, do they?"  
"That is correct. This is hard for me to discuss, we are a  
proud race and it is disturbing to find fault in ones self. I  
must ask you that this be kept in confidence. We do have emotions  
but we keep them controlled, it is shameful to lose such control  
for any reason. I have a condition called 'Bendora Syndrome', it  
is not fatal but it is marked with sudden mood shifts and a loss  
of impulse control. I am currently taking mood stabilizing anti-convulsives  
to even out the episodes."  
"Where were you during the folding process?"  
"I was at my station, in the Physics Lab."  
"With Dr. Giem?"  
"Yes."  
"Security reports state that you were found kneeling over his  
body with your hands on his face, and now he is suffering from  
some sort of mental attack. Can you tell me what happened?"  
"Dr. Giem and I were in Physics Lab I, when we were beginning  
to open the fold effect, Dr. Giem screamed and collapsed, I  
called Medical, and was trying to aid him when the team arrived.  
"Were you trying to meld with him?"  
"No."

"This is an outrage Commander Wilson! Why am I not allowed to  
fulfill the tasks for which I was brought on board?"  
"Silsa, you must bare with us. We need information. Where  
were you during the fold? "  
"I was in my quarters, praying."  
"Praying? To family gods? I supposed you were alone."  
"Yes, I was alone. ..."  
"Can you explain the transporter logs showing human remains  
with in your possessions?"  
"Lunch?" replied Silsa half jokingly.  
"Or religious trappings. I know you are K'Dapt and were  
raised as a proper K'Zin and not just as a Prret. I want to know  
the truth. Where were you at the time of the attack?"  
"I was praying, Do you question my honor?"  
"I am counting on it. What do you know of the attack?"  
"From what I was told, it had to be the work of a unskilled  
coward, to attack unarmed weak creatures from behind and to even  
leave one alive. There is no honor in such a kill."

Dr. Rawlings reread her findings and glanced up at Commander  
Richards. "I've run the tests on the results of T'Tyla's medical  
exam she received when she first boarded and medical records on  
known Romulans. There is a slight imbalance in certain neuro-  
transmitters, other than that she is in good health for a Vulcan  
of her age."  
"According to Dr. Giem's medical report, T'Tyla was with him  
when he broke down," noted Commander Richards.  
"His breakdown seems to be due to this area of space. He is a  
spatial-sensitive."

 _"- CAUTION MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 95.5% -"_  
"Eruku to Commander Wilson, the rate of power loss is  
increasing. It is now 3% per hour and there is nothing I can do  
to stop it."  
"Can you explain, Eruku?"  
"I believe in this section of space, matter begins to lose  
polarity. I've been detecting weakening of the main battery  
cells as well."  
"Try to find a way to stop it, if you can't, well need an  
alternate source of power. I want your best suggestion in one  
hour, in my ready room."  
"Commander Wilson to Commander Richards and Mr. Palet, and  
Sergeant Johnson, Meet me in my ready room in one hour with your  
results."

 _"-CAUTION MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 92%-"_

"Sergeant Johnson, you found no evidence of a decoding device  
or its components?"  
"Sir, we searched the ship, no such device was found. There  
was nothing jettisoned from the ship after the fold and the data  
was being altered when we lost pressure in the docking bay.  
There were no traces in the waste processors and all components  
needed to construct a device are accounted for. In my opinion  
there was no device."  
"And the Bynar memory modules?"  
"They were not tampered with. They are the same units they  
came aboard with."  
"Therefore a database for a tricorder was not smuggled aboard.  
I was talking to T'Tyla about the delta code. She said it would  
not be difficult to decode the symbols, if you had a key to  
reference, such a key could be on a ledger or learned by rote,  
but the amount of information needed is enormous. It was  
established that the code was delivered on a frequency readable  
by a tricorder but without a database the information is  
meaningless, unless one knew the code. Have you finished your  
investigation of the computer access room, sergeant?"  
"Yes sir, we ran the tests on some samples of hairs found on  
Number 0's body. They tested as human."  
"Human?" questioned Commander Richards.  
"You have some information Commander Richards?"  
"Memorians are genetically human with only a few minor  
differences, almost a twin race biologically."  
"Memorians are also stronger than humans, and as I said a  
number of alliance worlds are in Romulan claimed space including  
Ohanock V. A Memorian would be the only race that would be able  
to memorize a Delta Code database and could easily throw a  
90-pound individual, ten feet into a bulkhead. Gentile men, we  
have our killer. Eruku what is the status of the power loss?"  
"We are losing power at an increasing rate, 3.5% per hour  
currently. Our matter / antimatter cells are becoming inert and  
there seems to be no way to stop it while we remain in this  
space. We are also losing battery power at a rate of 5% per hour  
as well. It would take two hours to bring the fold system on line  
and we won't have the power for a fold at that time. And I feel  
this is related to this area of space, I believe we are in Null  
space, a theoretical boundary between Normal Space and E Space.  
Within this area matter tends to lose polarity and breaks down  
into individual chargeless particles, and then into  
nano-particles."  
"Would not these particles give off energy as they degrade?"  
"Yes, they would. I have been working on a theory that if we  
use the Gravimetric Emitters to force a matter implosion and  
accelerate the process, we could use the power gained to augment  
the systems. However this will provide power only for a few  
minutes and we only have the equipment for a single try. We also  
need at least 70% power to start such a reaction."  
"Minimal set up time?"  
"Providing, we have the matrix codes and the theory works,  
about three hours forty-five minutes. At current projections we  
will be at below 70% in four hours two minutes."  
"Get started on the power supply. Mr. Palet, take Number 1,  
T'Tyla, Silsa, and Dr. Carstairs, and start on Fold preparation  
while Commander Richards, Sergeant Johnson and I have little chat  
with our Mr. Garith."  
"We may need a telepath to interrogate him. Silsa's files  
indicate she is a 25k telepath, more sensitive than T'Tyla."  
"You may be right, but K'zinti do not use telepaths on  
prisoners, it's considered dishonorable, she may not be willing.  
Also readings are debilitating for K'Zin, and We will need her to  
for monitoring the folding equipment. Let's use T'Tyla if  
necessary."

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 88%. POWER IS NOW_  
 _BELOW THRESHOLD LEVELS -"_

The Guard informed Sergeant Johnson that Garith was still in  
his quarters and has been compliant.  
"Sergeant, position your men outside the door, I want to be  
sure that Garith is our killer before we make our move, but be  
ready for anything. Mr. Garith, may we come in?"  
"Bearman Commanders, welcome."  
"Mr. Garith, we need some information. As you know we need  
to find out what happened during the fold, so we may be able to  
use the information to get us back. Your memory of the events  
may help us. You were assigned to watch the information on the  
monitor screens. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Bearman tells me to watch and remember."  
"Did you do that?"  
"Yes."  
"During the fold?"  
"Yes."  
"We need to know what the screens were writing before and  
during the fold. Can you write down the information?"  
"Yes."  
"Please do so, Mr. Garith."  
"Commander Richards please examine the information  
provided by Mr. Garith. Do you know the meanings of the  
information you have written, Mr. Garith?"  
"No. I wrote what I saw."  
"Commander Richards, what information was being displayed  
on Mr. Garith's monitor?"  
"Space density within the field processing zone."  
"And the data that Garith just handed you?"  
"The Bynar's matrix data. The data displayed in the  
computer access core."  
"Sergeant Johnson, you may enter. Your proof Sergeant.  
Apparently Mr. Garith assumed that all the monitors were  
displaying the same information. Why Garith? What reason would  
you have to alter the data?"  
"You are Bearmen. We worship the Great Mother, from which  
all is born. All life is worshiped. I did not mean to kill the  
little Skyman, it was an accident."  
"That doesn't answer the question."  
"Long ago, before the great replanting, Our Tribes lived  
peacefully, We the gathers and the Bearmen. We made peace with  
the animals. Like the God Bears they worshiped, the Bearman  
hunted and killed, they ate the meat of the land. Then one day a  
bearman returned bringing 'fire' and a means of throwing spears  
and killing at a distance farther than ever before. From that  
time we no longer knew peace with the bearman. They killed many,  
many gathers, until we were few."  
Commander Richards listened in Disbelief, "Ohanock 5 has no  
bears or any large predators for that matter."  
"There is no record of this legend in our files, Great  
Replanting?" asked Commander Wilson.  
"When we came to the new lands, we were told that we must  
plant and tend the land until the time of the Great Harvest. They  
said that the land was rich and we would be free of the Sky Bears  
and Bearman."  
"Told? By whom?"  
"By the ones who sowed us in the New Lands. The ones who  
will harvest."  
"That does not answer the question. Why did you alter the  
data?"  
"The Great Mother forbids us to kill. The Bearmen kill all.  
A Skyman come, say if I do this then they will rid the lands of  
Bearmen, then we, the Gathers, will be forever safe."  
"Garith, we need the information which you entered into the  
computer. Many lives depend on it. You must tell us. If you  
don't, you would kill more than just the Bynar. How would the  
Great Mother like that?"  
After giving us the matrix code Garith was placed under  
protective custody, for his protection as well as ours, although  
suicide is not common among Memorians, but neither is murder.  
Memorian law is quite harsh on those types of crimes.

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 83%-"_

"It looks like they were trying to use Dr. Carstairs old matrix  
formula. See? There is no allowance for the fluid gravimetric  
flow caused by movement of dark matter. That's understandable  
from those races who don't use gravity drives." observed Silsa.  
"Or not having an experienced K'Zinti navigator to aid  
them. "  
"From the look of this data, with those variables accounted  
for, would have placed us deep within Romulan space. A trap most  
likely." continued Silsa.  
"Then they could impound the ship and say it was off course  
due to failure of our equipment. Even possibly discrediting the  
fold drive program while they study a functional fold system.  
Number 1, do you think you and the team could encode this and  
calculate a fold jump from here?"  
"Yes, although without my complementary unit, it will  
take sometime and there will be a wider margin of error."  
"Can it be done in time?"  
"Yes"  
"Good start working on the computations."  
"Commander Wilson, I feel that the Romulans wanted  
something far more threatening to them than a fold drive.  
Federation intelligence has known that Romulans have been working  
on a phasing shield for years without much success and the mass  
detector is a major threat to their balance of power. It can  
sense their ships even with their improved cloaking technology.  
That's why the other ship was in our waist stream, it would  
appear as part of our exhaust, only detectable when we altered  
course unexpectedly."  
"You may be right, Commander."  
"You mentioned the files disappearing and later found?"  
"They were regarding Fold Theory and initial calculations  
by Dr. Carstairs and 'Ren' frequencies for use in passive/active  
mass detection."

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 75%-"_

"Commander, Chief Eruku here, the implosion chamber is ready,"  
"Silsa to Commander Wilson, Fold Systems are on line and  
matrix codes are entered."

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 74%-"_

"Mr. Palet?"  
"Course is laid in, all systems ready."

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER HAS DROPPED TO 71%-"_

"Engage imploder, Begin Fold Now!"

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER EXCEEDING SAFETY LIMIT-"_  
 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER IS AT 110%-"_

"Commander we have an electrical fire in electronics panel  
AA23!"  
"Commander Wilson, This is Eruku we have an emergency here,  
We have runaway reaction!"  
"We have a positive window Commander."  
"We need to shut down the imploders!"  
"Keep them going for a few more seconds! Take us in

"She's shorting Out!"

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER FAILURE IN 2 SECONDS-"_

"She can't take the stress! She is breaking up!"

 _"-WARNING MAIN POWER FAILURE. BACKUP POWER ENGAGED-"_

"Mr. Palet, Location?"  
"Space Normal Sir, Long range sensors are off line. It  
will take a few minutes to plot our location using visual scans."  
"I want damage and casualty reports as soon as possible."  
"Dr. Rawlings to Commander Wilson, Casualty report, no  
serious injuries. one case of electrical burn and one case of a  
broken leg. We were very lucky."  
"Eruku to Commander Wilson, Damage report, the antimatter /  
mater cells are inert. The imploder unit imploded and can't be  
repaired. The battery power is at 45%, with minimal life support  
and eliminating all non essential functions that should last us  
for about a week. Impulse power is off line and will take 36  
hours to repair and without full power the best we would be able  
to manage is half impulse. Phase shielding has negative capacity  
and can not be repaired. We also have severe structural damage  
throughout the ship. I feel that with any luck she may hold up  
until we are rescued."

"Sir, I have plotted our position. We are .25 parsecs from  
Aarris. We are also within a main trade rout though so we may  
likely be picked up by a trade ship."  
"Thank you M. Palet. Eruku see what you can do about  
establishing impulse and regaining power. Keep me posted, I'll be  
in my quarters."

I try to rest but its not easy. In the darkness of my room  
I can make out shapes, crystalline sacks, barley visible in the  
fog. Many sacks, looks like maybe, 30..40..., no, lots more. The  
whole crew. Encased like Steven. I see movement now. Vague  
shapes moving in the fog, large roundish forms. Without thinking  
I raise my nail gun and fire. Strafing bursts. I hear sounds of  
breaking glass and screams, inhuman screams. Roundish spidery  
forms illuminated briefly from flashes of light, like Terran  
Fireflies. There seems to be thousands of them. I fire, 1000 or  
more rounds, a full clip, until all I hear is the clicking Whir  
of the barrel's motor and the enraged screams of the monsters as  
they rushed toward me. "Damn... Control I'm getting the hell out  
of here!" Setting the auto - destruct on my flachet cannon, I  
run, dropping it behind me. Reaching a bulkhead hatch, I close it  
behind me to provide cover from the resulting explosion. I set a  
thermal charge on my side of the hatch. I hear scraping on the  
other side of the hatch. The hatch begins to move as if it is  
being forced. Upon reaching the hatch to Engineering I brace my  
self on a control panel using a tow cable and blow the hatch. "Go  
to Hell!" I say as I detonate the charge on the inner hatch  
exposing most of the ship's interior to deep space.

"Eruku to Commander Wilson... Chief Eruku to Commander Wilson?"  
"Commander Wilson here."  
"Impulse engines are back on line, Sir."  
"Thank you, Chief."  
"Commander Wilson to Mr. Palet, set course to Aarris, best  
possible speed. Open a sub-space communication channel to Aarris,  
Tell them of our situation and assistance will be appreciated." 

Cat and Mouse

"Commander Wilson, we are detecting a mass 1500 kilometers off  
the starboard, sir"  
"Identify, Mr. Palet."  
"It's a small scout class vessel, but it seems to be a  
combination of technologies, Federation, ... Romulan, Klingon.  
Its warp-core signature does not conform to any registered ships.  
There is no transponder or communication signals."  
"Helm, take us in, 1/3 impulse power. Shields up, Phasers on  
standby."  
"Coming into visual range now sir. She is not marked. She  
displays no colors."  
"Life signs?"  
"There is too much interference to determine, detecting  
high levels of Verteron radiation. Much higher than normal."  
"Any traces of Verteron radiation in this sector of space?  
"Yes, higher than normal for this section of space. But  
that would not account for these readings."  
"She doesn't look damaged. Try to boost the scanning  
signal."  
"Her systems seem nominal, Her phasers are depleted  
however. I still can't determine life signs. She is  
maintaining, speed and heading, but has not made any coarse  
corrections from the time of our arrival, in fact they seemed not  
to have made any actions at all as to our presence."  
"Commander Richards prepare an Away Team, hard suits;  
armed heavily. I'm going over there."  
"That's not recommended Commander, regulations state that  
the Commanding officer must..."  
"This is something the Commander feels he must do, pardon  
me for interrupting, but it is also the Command responsibility to  
insure the safety of the crew and if it takes personal risk then,  
so be it." Silsa interrupted from her station.  
"Commander Richards you have the com. Have the Team  
assemble in Transporter room 1."  
"Lieutenant, a moment alone. Commander Wilson has given  
you a lot of leeway due to your expertise, but don't you ever  
interrupt or countermand an order from a superior officer! Give  
me one good reason why I should not have you busted for  
insubordination."  
"I only meant that Commander Wilson feels a strong  
emotional need to determine what happened to that ship. He feels  
that he must investigate it, on a very basic emotional level."

"Ensign, I want you to maintain a lock on our signals and be  
prepared to transport us back in case of an emergency. Set  
phasers on full. Check your suits. Energize." The ship was  
unusually silent, the corridor we transported into was deserted.  
"Stay alert. Sergeant are you picking up any life signs?"  
"Negative life signs within 10 meters of our position."  
"Stay alert, Triders don't register as life forms. Radiation?"  
"This area is hot. The metal hull has been inducted. Its  
radiating Verteron particles."  
"Only prolonged exposure to source material or extremely  
intense irradiation could induce such activity."  
"Eruku, take these men to Engineering, see what you can  
find out there. Sergeant Johnson and I will search the control  
room."

"Commander Wilson to Commander Richards, We are in the  
cockpit, there seems to be no survivors. Everyone appears to  
have died at their station. Chief Eruku states that he  
discovered similar findings in engineering as well. I am  
downloading ship's logs now."  
"Eruku to Commander Wilson, The Antimatter/Matter cells are of  
Federation make, we may be able to use the cells to regain full  
power."  
"Proceed, Chief."  
"Sir, we transported the containment cells aboard, I will  
need to transport back at this time to install them."  
"Agreed Chief, Have the team transport back as well,  
Sergeant Johnson and I are going to shut down the engines and set  
up an emergency beacon then check out the cargo hold."

The Ready room was filled with questions and assumptions  
about the ghost ship they discovered. Questions of plague were  
being raised.  
"The crew were Orion and the ship's hold was filled with  
Dilithium and other contraband. They were apparently smugglers or  
"Privateers" as they call themselves. There logs contained almost  
nothing about their origin, flight path or destination, which is  
to be expected for smugglers or pirates. Their last entry was  
made just before they died, the captain stated that they were  
encountering as he described 'large black crystal ship, shaped  
like a 'flame gem', he also said that their phasers were  
ineffective. I would like you to hear exerts from the last log  
entry made by the orion captain."  
" _\- By the Gods its... huge, its turning on an intercept_  
 _vector. Heading straight for us, reading a power serge and a_  
 _radiation buildup and -"_  
"At that time the crew died, about one standard day ago.  
They died from Verteron radiation exposure, very intense, very  
lethal. Commander Richards has more". Commander?"  
"Dr. Rawlings studies on Verteron radiation show that it is  
lethal to all carbon based life forms. Tests performed on the  
"Beggars Choice" show an absence of living carbon based life, not  
even protocells or viral. The only thing living found were  
Ferrites, an oxidizing Francium based micro organism, feeding on  
the iron floor grates."  
"It is my opinion that we are looking at the results of a  
new and deadly weapon. Due to the residual radiation in this area  
of space it may be Trider activity, the Trider drives leave heavy  
traces of verteron radiation. Silsa?"  
"Why didn't they raise their shields to block out the  
radiation?"  
"Good question, but the "Choice" had no shields.  
Shielding would block Verteron radiation, so this weapon does not  
seem to have much practical value. Eruku what's the ships  
status?"  
"We have restored main power to full, Battery power is  
being recharged. We have full shield and phaser capacity, full  
impulse power. We can maintain a speed of .99 of warp. Life  
support and main functions are nominal. We should make it to  
Aarris in about 6 months."  
"Weapons systems? Mr. Johnson?"  
"As Chief Eruku stated we have full phasers and shields.  
We also have 3 photon torpedoes, which is generous considering  
we're not meant to go into combat."  
Damn, if this is a new Trider weapon, It could represent a  
major threat to this part of the galaxy. "I want repairs made to  
all systems as best as possible, combat readiness. There is a  
hostel ship in this area. Stations. A moment Chief."  
"Yes Sir?"  
"I want you to go to Engineering and arm the A.S.D. for  
voice code. I do not wish our crew to be captured by the  
Triders."

"Commander Wilson on the Bridge."  
"Status, Mr. Palet?"  
"We are in rought to Aarris at warp .995. ETA: 6 months, 14  
days, 22 hours, 56 minutes."  
"Commander may I speak to you, alone?"  
"In my Ready Room, Silsa."  
"Commander, permission to speak freely?."  
"You may."  
"I feel that you are very concerned for this crew, but  
you can not allow your feelings to control your judgement."  
"Strange hearing that from a K'Zinti."  
"Commander Richards was right about the "Beggars Choice",  
you endangered the ship. If there were Triders aboard, you would  
have better served the ship by staying in command here. I felt  
that you almost seemed to be reliving something when we came upon it.  
A very disturbing sensation."  
"Is that all? I would like to ask you, there are two  
things I've been wondering. 'Silsa-Prret' is a strange name. Most  
K'Zinti I know are named after their job or rank as in Navigator  
or Telepath. You, however have a partial name, a mark of honor or  
nobility, which is highly unlikely for a female prret. You also  
stated that you were raised as a navigator until you were unable  
to hide the fact that you were female. How could you hide that  
from a school full of telepaths? That could be done only if you  
were privately trained. Only the nobility can afford such  
luxury."  
"I am telling you this because I feel that I can trust you.  
This must be held secret. I do not have a partial name or title.  
I have a full name. I am called Silsa of Priit."  
"Of House Priit? The Grand Patriarchy?"  
"My Sire's Father. I was my Sire's only true born. When  
he found out about my talent, I was separated from the rest of  
K'Zinti, raised in secret. I was given training far surpassing  
most males. It was hoped that I could be used to improve the  
race. The other clans know nothing of my existence, nor can  
House Priit even acknowledge that I exist. As I came of age, I  
grew bored with my Isolation so I escaped to join the Alliance.  
There was something else I wanted to tell you. This radiation  
weapon may be a new application of their drive units. When you,  
Monk... er, Men first reached out to the neighboring systems, you  
used hydrogen ram drives. How trusting were you, having only  
communication with the Vulcans, you didn't even arm your ships.  
In order to launch your ships, a system of mass drivers was used.  
During the K'Zinti battle of Terra, when our ships descended upon  
the Sol system to accept the surrender of humanity, You humans  
used your mass drivers to obliterate 3/4 of the K'Zin fleet and  
won the most decisive battle of the first war. This was the  
first lesson we learned from Humanity. 'A drive's effectiveness  
as a drive is proportional to its effectiveness as a weapon.' A  
point well taken since we were disarmed by treaty."  
"Thank you, Silsa."  
"Mr. Palet to Commander Wilson, Commander Sir, there is an  
incoming message from Aarris, it is marked eyes only and  
scrambled."  
"You will have to take your station now, Silsa Priit."

"Commander on Bridge."  
"Mr. Palet set course 118.35, mark 235.89, maximum speed,  
engage. Maintain continual long range sensor sweeps and Red  
Alert. All defensive systems active. Weapons on standby.  
Commander Richards to my Ready Room."

"Those are our orders Commander Richards."  
"Did you express how damaged this ship is? This is  
insane."  
"They are calling for all available ships. If its not  
stopped here it will devastate the most populated areas of the  
Triangle. After that there will be a clear invasion route into  
the Klingon, Federation and Romulan territories."

"Sir we are receiving several coded sub-frequency signals  
50 Astronomical units ahead, ETA: 200 minutes."  
"On speaker Mr. Palet."  
"Sounds like static." commented Commander Richards.  
"Battle Language, Commander Richards. Its the Williams"  
"We have a translation." stated Mr. Palet.  
" _-Unknown enemy engaged, presumed Trider. Large crystalline_  
 _craft of unknown composition. Using unknown weapon. Phasers have_  
 _undetermined effect. Lost the Arrow, Harris, Ch'mee. Repeat... Harris,_  
 _Arrow and Ch'mee are Dead.-"_  
"There were 550 K'Zinti on the Ch'mee." mourned Silsa.  
"We are picking large numbers of vessels on long range  
sensors, Sir."  
"Wilson to Eruku, Is there any way of getting more speed?"  
"Yes we can establish a warp bubble and over load the  
Impulse stacks, and achieve warp 2 but that would burn out the  
Impulse engines"  
"Do it."  
"Sir we are detecting a vessel ahead. Its the Williams. Her  
shields are up and her systems are nominal, but no life signs.  
Sir more craft ahead, we are dropping out of warp. Warp 1.8, 1.5,  
1.3. Sub-light. .9 Impulse, .7, .5, .4... On thrusters only."  
"Battle Stations. Shields up." ordered Commander Wilson.  
"Visual Range Sir."  
"My God.. Its twice the size of a Galaxy Class." observed  
Commander Richards.  
"Sir the engaging vessels are: The Hawk, Slayer, and  
Burdien. The Burdien is firing phasers... no apparent effect.  
The Trider is turning..., I read an energy buildup. Radiation  
surge. I no longer read life signs from the Burdien, she's dead.  
Both the Hawk and the Slayer are moving in from opposite  
directions. The Hawk is firing... I read no effect Sir."  
"Mr. Palet take us in, lock phasers." Commander Richards  
ordered.  
"Phasers locked. the Trider is turning on the Hawk.. reading  
another radiation surge, Sir, I'm no longer reading any life  
signs from the Hawk."  
"Fire Phasers when in range." ordered Commander Richards.  
"How is it penetrating the shields? Their shields should  
stop the radiation pulse." puzzled Commander Wilson.  
"Sir the Trider is turning upon the Slayer. The Slayer is  
firing. I am reading another radiation surge. No life signs from  
the Slayer. Sir we are being scanned. The Trider is changing  
course toward us. It will be within range in 2 seconds."  
"Palet, Belay that phaser order!" shouted Commander  
Wilson. "Take no offensive action. Maximum power to the shields."  
"Take no action? Commander Wilson, I am relieving you of  
command. You are no longer fit for command of this ship. Report  
to Dr. Rawlings for a full psycho-medical examination. Mr. Palet  
prepare to fire phasers on my command."

"Sir I'm picking another radiation surge..."  
"Shields held sir."  
"Commander Richards, It is..."  
"Security, Remove Commander Wilson from the Bridge."  
"It is reading shield Flicker Frequencies from the  
Phaser strikes. It's crystalline structure dissipates the phasers  
energy."  
"Wait. Go on Commander. You have an idea?"  
"Sir they are locking phasers. Firing."

 _"-WARNING SHIELDS HAVE DROPPED TO 45%-_ "

"Our shields will not withstand another hit."  
"Palet raise a field process shield, single plain,  
between us an the Trider." Commander Wilson ordered, "Now!"  
"Process shields? A single plain will not cause enough  
distortion to cloak us. Process shields react violently to phaser  
fire. The feed back will destroy this ship..."  
"And cripple theirs. I just hope they realize that  
too. I am betting that they won't risk a prototype weapon on  
destroying a severely damaged ship like us."  
"Sir they are trying to maneuver to our starboard."  
"Just keep that shield between us and them."  
"The Trider craft stopped, Sir. She is turning.  
Heading away... towards the rest of the fleet."  
"I have an idea. Thank you Silsa. Wilson to Eruku,  
that matter we discussed earlier?"  
"On your command, Sir."  
"Wilson to Number 1, set up for a fold matrix 5000  
meters ahead."

"Sir the Phase shield is inoperative, we will not  
survive a fold."  
"Never mind the phase shield, set up a matrix."  
"Exit coordinates?"  
"none."  
"Mr. Palet listen very carefully. On my mark and as  
quickly as you can, drop shields fire phasers, no modulation, and  
photon torpedoes, aim for their aft drive unit and then raise  
shields, including the process shield. Number 1 how are the  
matrix coming along, how much time would it take to open a  
window?"  
"Its the exit matrix that would take the most time, just  
opening a window, 3 minutes."  
"Start the procedure."  
" ... Now!"  
"Sir, Phaser... no damage, 2 photons were detonated on the  
hull, but were absorbed. One photon struck the aft waste emitter.  
I read a 5% power loss from the Trider."  
"Ah... that one hurt."  
"Sir, she is turning, heading for us. Phasers armed. I am  
reading another radiation surge... Shields held. The Trider has  
stopped."

"Number 1, that window?"  
"Almost ready, sir."  
"The Trider is raising shields."  
"Shields? Our weapons are ineffective against them."  
questioned Commander Richards.  
"I don't think that's what they have in mind."  
"Sir they are moving again. Toward us, increased speed.  
Distance 10000 meters, 9500 meters. 9000, 8500, 8000..." said Mr.  
Palet.  
"Number 1, that window?"  
"We are having difficulty, Commander."  
"7500 meters, 7000, 6500..."  
"We could really use that fold window now Number 1."  
"6000 meters and closing, 5500 meters."  
"Silsa, now would be a good time to pray."  
"Sir mass detectors are showing a distortion at 5000  
meters, It is the fold window." reported Mr. Palet.  
"Thank you Number 1."  
"Sir the Trider is slowing, 5100 meters, 5050 meters."  
"The window's taking effect."  
"5000 meters. She is still moving, 4900 meters and  
increasing speed!"  
"The crystal must have a different base resonance  
frequency! Can we use thrusters to get out of it's path?"  
"No we would be too slow."  
"4800 meters."  
"All non-essential personnel to escape pods. Abandon  
ship! Repeat... Abandon ship!"  
"4700 meters... 4600 meters."  
"Computer!"  
 _"-WORKING-"_  
"Authorization Wilson, Benjamin, Flight Commander,  
Code BDW1677654. Command ARM."  
 _"-ARMED, AWAITING FINAL CODE FOR 30 SECOND COUNTDOWN.-"_  
"4500 meters... 4400 Meters. 4300, 4200..."  
"Computer, Maximum blast radius?"  
 _"-MAXIMUM BLAST RADIUS 5000 METERS-"_  
"4100, 4000 meters, 3900, 3800..., still closing."  
"Computer, Destruct code..."  
"Commander, Wait! I have an idea!" yelled Commander  
Richards. "It has a different resonance frequency!"  
"3700 meters. Sir most of the crew have jettisoned.  
3600 meters."  
"Mr. Palet, use the mass detector, send out a white  
graviton beam at the Trider. All frequencies. Monitor any echo  
effect. Identify any band widths absorbed." Commander Richards  
ordered.  
"3500 meters. Sir, we are receiving echoes on all  
frequencies except this one."  
"Set Gravimetric emitters to that frequency and initiate  
the folding sequence, using just the emitters." ordered Wilson.  
"3400 meters."  
"Now!"  
"Sir the Trider is beginning to harmonically resonate at  
360000 oscillations per nanosecond." reported Silsa.  
"Increase power!"  
"3300 meters... Amplitude increasing, Sir."

"Sir I'm picking up stress fractures within the Trider."  
reported Silsa. "The Trider is cracking!"  
"Mr. Palet, Shields on full, Take us out of here."  
"She is breaking up!"  
"Brace for impact!"  
 _"-WARNING COLLISION ALERT-"_  
"Shields Failing, We have pressure loss sections D through  
K, all Levels..., Thrusters are out. We are Listing!"  
 _"-WARNING ENVIRONMENTAL LEVELS DROPPING-"_  
"Sir, Confirmed kill at less than 1900 meters." reported  
Silsa.  
"Dr. Rawlings, causality report; Eruku, Damage report?"  
"All systems sustained heavy damage, I'm afraid there is  
not much that can be done."  
"Dr. Rawlings here, only light injuries. the areas that  
were most heavily damaged were evacuated safely."  
"Silsa, send a general distress signal."  
"Sir, The Valor is responding, ETA 15 minutes."

The Valor was very efficient in retrieving all the  
escape pods and our crew. Garith was handed over to the  
authorities, Dr. Giem was recovering from his psychological  
shock, and Number 1 was paired with another orphaned Bynar and  
will survive. Silsa continued on to Aarris via warp shuttle and  
Richards, T'Tyla, and Dr. Carstairs were returning to  
Terra. I, however, had to face an inquest about the loss of my  
ship.  
"Your report shows that the Carson was sacrificed in  
battle in dealing with a Trider warcraft, You took your ship into combat  
even though you knew she was crippled. Is this so?"  
"Yes, Fleet Commander, as you have seen in my report,  
we managed to examine the results of the new Trider weapon. I  
thought the information would be valuable in saving the fleet.  
Most of the Trider action has been near the Rim barrier, this is  
the deepest incursion the Trider have made. Our worlds are now  
vulnerable to attack."  
"It was to be expected, We have increased our  
preparations for defense. That is why we decided to re assign you  
to a research post."  
"And the Carson?"  
"Commander Wilson, I'm sorry, The Carson is too  
disabled to make it to a repair facility under her own power and  
we don't have the resources to tow her that great a distance.  
Even if she can be brought to a dry dock, our technicians say  
that she is beyond repair. The Federation has been notified of  
the loss. The way we see it, you have one last order to give as  
her acting commander. A communication channel has already been  
established."

"Commander Wilson to Carson Computer, ASD status  
report?"  
 _"- ASD ARMED AND AWAITING FINAL ORDER FOR 30_  
 _SECOND COUNTDOWN -"_  
"Computer, Destruct Code: Nero, initiate destruct One."

"End transmission." Silsa purred contentedly, even  
though she knew that she would never receive any reward or even  
recognition for her work. After all it is not often one can  
provide not only designs for a functional Drive/Weapon that could  
be easily adapted from current gravity engines, but also  
technical data involving an enemie's newest weapon systems. The  
Patriarchy will be pleased. She looked out of her window as a new  
star briefly lit up the night sky. She wondered how many humans  
on Aarris knew how lucky they were, for the moment. The thought  
made her hungry.


End file.
